Rock climbers who are adept at scaling vertical surfaces are often compared to Spider-Man, while biologists and land managers fascinated with a certain flying mammal might take on the persona of Batman. Shawn Davis is empowering both groups – men and women alike – and uniting their superhero powers in the name of bat conservation.
An associate professor of parks, conservation and resource management at Slippery Rock University, Davis is the co-founder of Climbers for Bat Conservation, a national organization that works with the rock-climbing community and people tasked with protecting the bat population.
“We activate climbers through citizen science to help us identify areas in cracks and crevices that could be far up cliff faces and difficult for bat biologists and land managers to reach,” Davis said. “Climbers have a unique ability and skillset to get into those areas where we could find bats that we didn’t know existed.”
Bats are under tremendous threats, from…
